The Shadow
by Jezmaiya
Summary: 'I always thought vampires were the only ones that existed, but now I seem to be fighting in a war between Hell's sins and the Archangel's shadows. My name's Kuroko Tetsuya, and before I was a shadow, I was vampire. A member of the elite Generation of Miracles, but not anymore.' He's been missing for five years but now he's back, yet he's not the same. He's not a vampire anymore.
1. Prologue

_x.X. The Shadow.X.x_

_Summary: I always thought vampires were the only ones that existed, but now I seem to be fighting in a war between Hell's sins and the Archangel's shadows. My name's Kuroko Tetsuya, and before I was a shadow, I was vampire. A member of the elite Generation of Miracles, but not anymore._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Written by Jezmaiya._

_Inspired by the movie: I, Frankenstein._

_P.S: Slow updates..._

_..._

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_Sometimes I like to wonder what my life is meant to mean. I've been alive for so long, it's hard to say. For the first two hundred years of my life, I was a vampire. A creature forced to feed off humans in order to live and it disgusted me, the way my friends would feed from them sexually. I hated that life but for a long time, it was all I had until that day that everything changed at least. After that, I knew that every moment counted because if I was going to live like that, I had to make it count.  
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The wind cut deep as I walked past the alleyways downtown. It was cold, and I wanted to get out before the storm raged. I froze in my steps. My senses heightened as I smelt the sickly sweet scent of fresh blood, and found myself walking towards the source in this dead cold night. It wasn't long before I stumbled upon the unfortunate victim. His flaming red hair stood out as the teen was forced on the ground. His head was bleeding as he had been hit with a blunt object, three rogues surrounding him but the most notable thing about the scene was this girl. She stood in an elementary school uniform, her hands out, blocking the man from the vampires. On her face was a determined expression, it was intriguing.

For a moment, I waited and watched in the shadows. I had wanted to see how this would all play out. That red haired teen was a hunter by the crest embedded in his coat, so I had no right to interfere in his work, yet the girl. It was odd. I couldn't smell anything off her as she stood her ground.

"Aw, isn't that cute," A rogue hissed, his tongue slipping out as he inched forward. His tongue running along the bottom of his lip as he eyed the girl like a piece of meat, it sickened me. I couldn't watch any longer before I intervened. I bit into my thumb before slipping a drop of blood onto my shadow as I watched it come to life. With a snap of my fingers, the shadow silently crawled onto the scene, taking down the rogues in a quiet battle.

The girl watched with her blue eyes wide. "Get down," The teen instructed, grabbing the girl before shielding her from the fight. My shadow reached from behind, grabbing the rogue's legs and pulling them down before slashing their necks. It was brutal but effective. When the deed was done, my shadow dispersed. It was a smart choice to shield the girl–vampire blood contained acidic properties and with the amount that the rogues had lost, it was a good thing that the hunter was there. The hunter's coat remained unharmed; it was probably blessed by the holy church. When the scene was over, I decided to leave. There was a quick breeze past my face before I felt a burning sensation at my cheek, touching it I saw blood. "Come out here you bloodsucker, I know you're there," The hunter said. His voice and aura reflecting the intensity and ferocity of a tiger as he stood up, blazing red eyes glaring right at me as I walked out of the shadows.

"You cut me... and after I saved you," I replied blankly. Coming closer, I see the symbol of the Seirin Church on his coat badge; he must have been one of theirs. "So what do you want?" I asked him.

"Your head," He replied before taking out a knife. "I'm going to bring it back with me." He grinned as he raised his arm and was prepared to throw, but a small hand grabbed it and gently plucked the knife out of his hand. It was the girl. "Hey brat, what are you…" His voice trailed off as the girl walked up to me, smiling as she slit her palm and held it before me. Both our eyes widened from the act.

I stared at the blood, it smelt so… pure. "Take some," She said, smiling at me. "It'll help," She whispered, her voice silky and soft. For a moment, I didn't do anything. It was almost as if I was frozen, but I managed to look away.

"I'm sorry but I refuse," I said, resisting the scent of her tasty blood. It was scary. Her blood was so pure, it was rare to taste, better yet smell something as delicious as it.

"Hey kid, are you crazy?" The hunter exclaimed, grabbing for her, but the girl simply dodged and placed her palm against my mouth. My eyes widened as I felt my fangs come out, biting into her palm. The hunter grabbed her back, yanking and spilling the blood onto the snow. Even though it had only been a few seconds, her blood had tasted wonderful. "What the hell kid?" The hunter said but the girl had kicked him in his shin before she ran off.

I watched her figure disappear, her light voice giggling as she ran through the storm that had begun to fall. Who was she? And why did she want me to drink her blood so desperately?

"Now, where were we?" The hunter said before turning back at me. Using my ability, I disappeared like a shadow and returned back to my apartment, leaving him to fend in the harsh winter storm for himself.

Upon entering my house, I could tell that somebody had unwelcomely entered my domain. "Kise," I said bluntly upon spotting the blonde vampire in my living room. "What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Kurokocchi!" He exclaimed, coming to hug me but I brushed past him as I placed my coat down. "So mean!" He cried comically as I sent him a blank stare in response.

"I asked you a question," I reminded him bluntly. "Why are you here? I made it quite clear that I wanted nothing to do with the Generation of Miracles anymore," I told him as I walked into my kitchen and made a vanilla milkshake.

Kise's eyes darkened as he followed me, eying the beverage. "How has your health been Kurokocchi?" He asked me seriously. I stared at him blankly before taking a long sip of my milkshake silently. "I see," He said before reaching inside his coat and placing a bag of human blood on the table. I stared at it with disgust. "Don't worry, one of my girls donated it willingly." He told me.

"I don't want it."

"Just take it!" Kise slammed his hand on the table in an act of anger, I stared at him. "Please Kurokocchi, I know you hate the way we survive but we have to." He told me, his eyes pleaded for me to take the blood. I didn't reply. Kise grabbed my shoulders and shook me lightly. "You've gotten thinner." He said, chuckling before releasing me.

I looked at the bag before picking it up and holding it out to him. "I don't want it." Kise didn't take it.

"Keep it," He told me. "And if you ever want to come back to the mansion, it'll always be there to welcome you." He sent me a weak smile before walking towards the door. I followed him as he paused at the door, looking at me, dead in the eye. "Just remember this Kurokocchi," He said. "Not all vampires feed like Akashi does."

I closed my eyes and felt my entire body shuddered at the memories. For the past hundred and ninety years, I had lived in the place of my creation. I had been on the verge of death until a vampire named Akashi Seijuro had bitten me and turned me into one of his. For a long time, I had been a loyal follower. That is until I stumbled upon his feeding room. Fresh human corpses sprawled everywhere, all of them young girls. It was then I learnt of his sick obsession for human girls, the purer, the lovelier it was for him to feed. Of all the Generation of Miracles, it had been only me that never knew. It had been too much for me to bare, so I left. Their colourful cold eyes darkening as I walked away, I was a disgrace to them now.

"Please leave Kise," I finally said, my eyes opening. "You've overstayed your welcome." I told him before Kise sighed and left. He had been the only one that still interacted with me. My departure from the mansion had been a sign of betrayal but they didn't seem to care and neither did I, they had replaced me anyway.

Later that night, my entire body tingled from a mysterious sensation. It shocked me as I opened my eyes to find myself in a whole new place. The room was small, but the ceiling was high. Glass windows, designed with glass paintings of angels decorated each wall of the room beautifully. In the middle of the room stood the statue of a woman, in one hand she held a sword. In the other, she held a scale.

"Welcome, it's good to see that you're awake." A familiar voice said before my eyes landed on a girl. She sat on the podium of the statue, smiling as she swung her legs childishly. It was the girl from the attack. "You must be wondering where you are?" She said, smiling as she hopped off the podium.

I stood up, my eyes not leaving her. Did she bring me to a church?

"Oh don't worry," She assured me, suddenly appearing beside me. "This is a place that not even hunters know about. In fact, nobody knows who we are," She spun. I watched in stunned silence as she transformed from a young girl into a breathtaking woman. She stood taller than me, flowing white hair to the ground. Her robes the colour of fine ivory as well, her eyes, bloodshot. I looked at her, and then to the statue. There was a similarity. "My mother," She said, smiling softly at the woman. "She was the first Guardian." She told me. "Follow me." She spun on her heel as she led me away from the room.

"Where am I?" I asked her, following her out of the room.

"Angelus," She replied, ushering to the window as I paused, staring at the city beyond the glass. It was beautiful. "The home of angels." She said smiling at me. "I picked you for a reason, Tetsuya," She told me, motioning for me to follow her steps once more. "You're not like any vampire I've come across," She looked back and sent me a kind smile. "Despite your past and relation with the Generation of Miracles, your heart is still pure as gold. Although, you're not like any human either, your soul is pure and you being alive still proves that."

I stared at her. "What do you mean?"

The woman laughed. "When I forced you to drink my blood, it was a test to see if my instincts were right. You see, my blood is pure from a line of angels. My mother and I were sent by the Archangels to watch over this world and protect it from the seven deadly sins, and to guide the shadows." She explained. "This had been going on ever since the deadly sins had been released from the depths of hell, and it's the duty of the shadows to send those sins back to hell. As a Guardian, my duty is to ensure that all four corners of the globe has a Pillar. At each Pillar is a General that would lead their group of shadows to descend those sins. My job is to also collect information about sin activities and report back to my mother."

"How do I come into all of this?"

She stopped in her steps before looking at the wall beside us as her smiles dispersed; identical silver robes hung from the walls, beside it a plate and a weapon. "Do you see all these robes?" She said softly. "Each one represents a fallen shadow, and when a shadow dies; it is hard to replace them as their soul ascends to heaven." She looks at me seriously. "Our numbers have been decreasing at an incredibly fast rate; you saw how I appear before the humans." She told me. "I've been searching for soldiers but all I see is a world full of tainted souls," She said with disgust. "That is until I found you."

I stared at her. "But I'm a vampire." I told her seriously. "I can't become a shadow. I'm a being that practically belongs in hell."

"Then how are you not burning?" She asked me. "Look around you, Tetsuya, holy symbols that would burn any dark being decorate these halls but there you stand –unharmed." She told me. "You are meant to be a shadow. So what do you say?"

"Fine. I'll do it."

The process had be the most painful thing I had ever felt in my life. My body was to be submerged in a bath of holy water. Being a vampire, it had my skin boiling and bubbling for days. For a total of ten days I was submerged but when I had come out, I was no longer a vampire, yet I wasn't human either. When I asked Iri, the shadows' current Guardian, Esme's mother what shadows were, even she was not sure.

For the next two years I trained in combat, wearing the shadow's cloak and wielding their weapons proudly. I had finally understood why I, and not even other vampires had known of their existence. Being a shadow allowed us to transform into one, latching on to others, such as humans and leaving no scent behind. Stronger shadows had the ability to transform into statues, hiding their purpose but watching for sins. My first kill had been hesitant, but the moment the sin descended, I knew that I had to continue down this path. For so long, I had wanted to protect the humans and now I could. Because I was in the South-east region, I was assigned under Medea, a shadow General that took the form of the Goddess Wishing statue in Sakura Temple.

Using my ability, I transformed into a dog statue, sitting beside Medea. Humans believed that I had been a new addition to the temple's statues, making my life a shadow easier. Being a shadow, I didn't need to eat or drink. Not to mention that being in Osaka meant that I would never run into any of the Generation of Miracles, which put my soul at ease

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Or so I thought.

My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, and I am a Shadow. This is the story of how I ascended.


	2. I & History of Shadows (Part I)

_x.X. The Shadow .X.x_

_A/N: So I edited the first chapter a bit, I just added a few things here and there. If you've already read the first chapter, it's alright since my editing doesn't really effect much in the story line._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_melkkj20: Thanks :)_

_EclipseKuran: Chapter posted and thank you._

_Nao Desista: Yeah, the GOM will be seeing Kuroko very soon and as for Kagami... well, it's going to get interesting from here on out :)_

_hitomi65: Thank you._

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**_History of Shadows (Part I)  
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**_A long time ago, when the gates of hell were accidentally opened, seven sins escaped. These sins later on became known as the Seven Deadly Sins. As time passed, the sins traveled onto earth and began creating havoc. From the skies of heaven, the Archangels watched before they finally decided to send Iri, an angel to watch over the earth. With Iri, she brought her daughter, Esme._**

**_Along with these two angels, the Archangels sent a group of elite warriors for the specific purpose of sending sins back into the depths of hell. Their souls of past heroic spirits, some of mythical beings. They were called Shadows._**

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I

_I look at City of Angelus._

_The world was beautiful here, but outside of Angelus... Sometimes I wonder what would it be like to enter 'that' world again? Before, I would have dismissed it as nothing like the past centuries of my life but now... I can see them. The sins are almost everywhere, and they know what I am just like how I know what they are. These past two years have been a blessing, and I don't want to leave Angelus but I must. My training is over, and now I must take my place in this unseen war. I chose this life, I chose to be a phantom. Sighing to myself, I took one more look at Angelus and then I shifted.  
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_Three years later (after prologue)…_

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"Mizuki, let's go, the temple's closing now," A young woman said as she sent her daughter an annoyed look before quickly looking back at her wrist, where a brown leather watch was strapped on. The young girl, Mizuki stood before us, eyes closed with her palms together.

"Please may I get asked out to the Graduation formal," She whispered lowly before placing a coin into the slot box beside me. "Alright, I'm done." She yelled running back to her mother.

Her mother sent an apologetic nod to the groundskeeper, Mister Takanaka, an elderly man whose eye sight was fading dearly. According to Medea, he had a somewhat idea of what happens here at night but to what extent, she didn't really say. "Thank you, I'm so sorry for the trouble." She told him, but the old man shook his head and assured her it was fine. As they left, he locked the barred gate to the temple's shrine grounds before him himself left. It was a quarter to eight.

There was a gush of wind as I hopped off the statue's podium in my dog form, my body made of stone before I shifted back to my human state. Other shadows had also done the same, stretching their limbs from another long day of watching. Whatever sins they had sensed and spotted during the day, they had to locate tonight. For me, I hadn't sensed much from where I was positioned. Looking to the podium, I watched as Medea stepped down, her skin of grey stone fading to reveal a milky colour and her wide white eyes. Her long hair was violet, matching her cherry blossom kimono with her war katana strapped securely to her back. Unlike other shadows, she didn't wear the black uniforms required. As she walked down from the podium, I noticed her posture stiffened slightly.

"Do you smell that, Tetsuya?" She whispered as she looked up at the moon. I glanced at her before following her gaze. "Something is happening not far from here," She said. "Kishimoto playground."

"Would you like me to investigate?" I asked her. Medea nodded.

With a bow, I shifted to a shadow and made my way to Kishimoto Playground. Due to the bright intensive light of a clear moon, it was faster to travel with the amount of shadows splayed across the town. Within moments I reached my destination before sitting myself down on a tree branch, my eyes doing a perimeter check. Some swings had been destroyed, and there was a trail of wreckage left behind but it was hard to pin point where the attack had truly begun. My eyes narrowed as I noted the claw marks embedded in the slide's body. "Definitely not human," I murmured as I hopped to the ground, attaching myself to the slide's shadow before scanning around once more. There had been some cases where sins would attach themselves to something other than a human but I had yet to come across one so far.

"Help!" A voice suddenly yelled.

My head snapped to the direction of the bushes as I followed the voice. My eyes widened slightly at the sight but I quickly recomposed myself as I stared blankly at the scene. 'So we meet again…' I mused as I watched a familiar red head fend off a rogue vampire but unlike last time –this was a sin infested rogue. This man was stronger.

"Shit! What the hell?" The hunter exclaimed as he stabbed the vampire in its heart yet it was deemed useless as it continued to move forward. Using its free hand, it smacked the man aside.

"Kagami!" The girl that had cried out exclaimed. Her legs were bleeding, claw marks trailed from her knee to her ankle; she must have been grabbed from beneath and dragged around. On her dress was the Seirin Church's crest, she must be one of Kagami's accomplices but she wasn't the only one I could see. There were a group of them, all from Seirin. My eyes narrowed back at the single rogue. Using my shadow senses I could see several sins already.

'Superbia, avaritia and gula,' He had three of them. I had no choice, I had to come in and descend the sins. The rogue is too far gone, his soul has been completely damned. Shifting into my stone phase, I pounced onto him with my claws held out. Holy water washed onto them as I slashed the symbol of the Angelus, a cross, onto his face. Satisfied I landed on my paws and watched as he descended. Cracks trickled along the rogue's skin before he let out a cry, his body catching itself on fire before the sins flew out in rays of flames, leaving the rogue to disintegrate in its own hell fire. I was satisfied with my actions as I turned on my paws to leave.

"Did we just get saved by a dog made of stone?" My ears perked up as I turned to see a cat looking member of the Seirin Church. My stones eyes bored into the man's brown ones. He seemed to sweat slightly before I looked away, shaking my head.

"Wait a minute," I paused in my steps once more before jumping away as a rather large hand lunged at me –it was Kagami. "Those eyes and that scent," He said, his red eyes glaring into mine. I was stunned that he could pick up my scent since shadows rarely gave of a scent at all. "They're really familiar and I don't ever forget the scent of a bloodsucker," He told me. "It's you, isn't it. That guy from three years ago." He remembers me.

"Kagami, what are you talking about?" The girl exclaimed at him. "Vampires can't shape shift, they can only use the abilities they gain when they first change." She told him.

"Riko, you know me. I never forget a scent." He told her sternly, his eyes never leaving mine.

Deciding that I might as well give him the satisfaction, I shifted before him as I brought my hands together, clapping. "Your nose is impressive, Kagami," I told him blankly as he took out a hand gun.

"Finally we can end this," He said; bringing the gun to my head.

"Wait!" The girl, Riko yelled at him.

Kagami scowled as he glared at her. "What now!" He demanded. "Can't you see that I'm in the middle of killing this bastard," He said.

"But he's not a vampire," Riko told him. Kagami paused for a moment, but the gun remained pointed at me.

"Riko's right," A man with glasses said. "His scent is different; he's definitely not a vampire." He informed Kagami. "But he's not human either."

Kagami glared right at me. "What the hell are you?" He asked me in a deadly low tone. "The last time I saw you with the kid, you were definitely a bloodsucker but now…"

"You're right." I said bluntly. "I was a vampire, but not anymore."

"Then what are you?" Riko asked me. I could smell the fear in her voice, the fear of the unknown was truly powerful.

'Tetsuya,' Medea's warm voice suddenly flooded into my mind, interrupting my thoughts. 'Return now.' Closing my eyes, I melted into my shadow form. My black cloak wrapping around me as I sunk into the bushes' shadow, my blue eyes watching the hunter's bewildered expressions.

"I am merely a shadow," I whispered before completely phasing as I returned to the temple's grounds.

As I returned, I noted that only Medea remained in the temple. It appears that all other shadows had gone for their nightly routine of patrolling the town. I shifted to my human form as I walked up the entrance's steps to her silently. "The sins had been eliminated," I reported, getting on one knee before her. "However it seems that the sins have been getting more courageous," I informed her. Medea did not look down as she sat at the temple's main gate. Her eyes looking up at the moon, bored as she was forbidden from leaving temple grounds.

As Esme had explained before, each corner had a pillar and the main gate of Sakura Temple was one of them. If the gate was to be harmed or destroyed in anyway, one of the four seals guarding hell would be weakened or broken. It was a large role to fulfill, yet it was also quite boring. Each General was forced to remain by the pillar's side at all cost, thus the reason why she sends me or other shadows to gather information.

Medea turned to me, her lips in a thin line at the latest Intel. "Are they?" She mused.

I took a deep breath as I began to explain. "In Kishimoto playground, I encountered a group of Seirin hunters. It appears that the sins had taken refuge in the soul of a rogue vampire, yet it seems that the sins now seem to be sharing souls." I told her. "Despite their alliance in power, the rogue was easy to destroy and the sins were descended."

"I see," Medea stood up, brushing her kimono. "I'll inform Esme. Tetsuya, stay and guard the gate." She instructed me before disappearing to the prayer chambers as I shifted to my dog form and sat on a step, my body not moving as I took the state of a statue.

It was not long before the sight of a white eagle flew out of the temple, on its leg was a scroll attached to it.

"Are you sure you smell him here?" My ears perked up as I spotted the group of Seirin hunters from before. Kagami led the group as he began walking up the first few steps to Sakura Temple.

Riko stood beside him, her legs bandaged as she looked over at the gate. I shifted away to my shadow form as I followed her eyes to see Medea, standing at the gate, her hands in the air, posed as a statue. "I don't think this is the right place," She told the group. "Sakura Temple is one of the most sacred places in Japan, it's practically wrong for us to even be here this late at night." She said to the group. Most of them agreed with her as they begun to turn back but Kagami remained.

"I'm telling you, he's here." He protested. "My nose does not lie."

"Just leave it, Kagami," The man with cat features said. "Like Hyuuga said, he's not a vampire anymore. We have no right to hunt him." He said, following Riko and the others.

Kagami still looked determined to find me. "But Koganei, aren't you at least interested to finding out what the hell he is?" He asked the man now identified as Koganei.

Koganei shrugged. "Whatever he is, he doesn't seem to be doing any harm to humans." With that, the Seirin group left, but not without Kagami giving the temple one last glance.

As soon as they were gone, Medea looked to me and ushered for me to come forward. "Are those the hunters?" She asked me, her eyes narrowing at the path that they took. I nodded as I bowed on my knees, ready to receive my punishment for leading them here. "That Kagami has a strong sense of smell; he was able to track you down." She said, her white eyes narrowing. "He poses as a threat but he does not possess a sin within him." She murmured.

"What shall we do then?" I asked her.

"I want you to follow him." She said as I glanced up at her. "I can't explain why but I have this feeling that something is about to happen," She told me. "Something that may include his soul becoming permanently damned,"

I nodded as I stood up. "So you want me to make sure that does not happen?" I asked her.

Medea nodded. "If that man becomes damned, the sins would use his sense of smell to track you and when he does, he'll be able to find us all. That is something I am not willing to risk, do you understand, Tetsuya?" She looked at me seriously. I replied with a nod before one last bow to follow the Seirin group.

By the time I had found them, they were at this burger joint. I figured that the safest way to watch Kagami would be by attaching myself to his shadow discreetly. At first, he looked around, probably trying to spot me but after a while, he gave up and returned to stuffing himself. 'If I was to predict which sin was to possess him, it would definitely be gula.' I mused as I watched the hunter wash down a dozen more burgers.

"Kagami, stop hogging all the food," The man with glass scolded as Kagami shivered from his glare. "You're going to get fat and become a glutton soon enough."

"Fine, Hyuuga-senpai," Kagami muttered, shoving his tray of remaining burgers at the man who grabbed it to share with the rest of the hunters. Kagami sighed as he lay back, yawning as he stretched his arms out. "As soon as we get back to the hotel, I'm going to sleep." Kagami said before he shut his eyes and fell asleep.

In my mind, I could already see gula sharing this soul with acedia as well. 'This hunter is truly lazy,' I said, glancing back at the others. The group was quite big compared to the teams that hunters usually traveled in, so they must have been here for something else. But what?

"Hey Riko," Koganei said as the girl looked up. "Do we have to go to the conference, I mean, why can't Kaijo or Seiho attend?" He asked.

The man named Hyuuga smacked Koganei on the head; it was quite clear right now that he was the leader of the Seirin hunters. "They are attending the conference along with Shutoku," He told him.

"But what's the point of the conference anyway?" Koganei asked.

"It's to form a treaty with the vampire's most elite group," I felt my entire body freeze for a moment; it couldn't be them, could it?

Another male from Seirin put his hand up as Riko pointed at him. "Who would that be?" He asked.

Hyuuga smacked his forehead. "Don't any of you pay attention during briefing?" He demanded as he looked at them. "Izuki, who is always at the top of the vampire food chain?" He asked the man that had asked previously.

"The creators," Izuki replied.

"And who is the most known creature in Japan?" Hyuuga asked.

It was a different person that answered this time. "Akashi Seijuro," I didn't like where this conversation was going.

"That's right Kiyoshi," Riko said as she finally spoke up. "We are going to be forming a treaty with the Generation of Miracles."

'...' I found myself blank as I decided to relay the information I've gained back to Medea.

'I see,' Medea replied quickly. 'Continue your mission, Tetsuya, I shall be sending Liala and Granger to back you up. When you reach this meeting place, inform me and I shall have Quadrant A on standby. If these Generation of Miracles are how Esme had described them to be, I fear that many sins would use this opportunity to manipulate their souls, if they hadn't already.'

'Understood.' The link was cut.

Hyuuga turned to Kagami before smacking him in the face. "Bakagami!" He exclaimed, waking the red head in the process. "Let's go, we have a big day tomorrow and I don't want you sleeping during the conference." Kagami grumbled as he stood up and stretched. From the corner of my eye, I spotted two shadows slip through the door before attaching themselves onto Kagami as well.

'Hello Tetsuya,' Liala politely greeted. Although we could not see each other, we could still converse mentally in this form. 'Is this the hunter that Medea has warned us about, the one with the incredible sense of smell?' She asked.

'Yes,' I replied blankly as Kagami walked out of the burger joint and headed to the hotel.

Granger let out a grumble. 'He seems arrogant to me, I see superbia coming in soon.'

Liala laughed. 'I have to disagree, I see Ira.'

If they were deciding sins, I decided that I would also voice my opinion. 'Actually, he's a gula and acedia.' He told them bluntly.

There was a silent pause before the two responded to my choices. 'Pathetic human/Such a waste of human life.' I could only agree from what I've seen so far.

As we reached the hotel that the Seirin group was staying in, we took this opportunity to escape from them and met up at the roof top of the hotel. Phasing into my human form as I looked at the view of Osaka. It was nothing compared to the City of Angelus. "Tetsuya," I turned to see a striking young brunette. Liala appeared to look nineteen, her hair tossed into a high pony tail with sharp black eyes that were hard to fool. She was taller than me and any average Japanese woman but that was probably due to her Greek heritage which also gave her an air of elegance. Granger on the other hand was a man from Ireland and he looked the part too. Unruly red hair with a matching beard as his build was not only larger than everyone else, but wider as well. He was practically a wall in my opinion. Not to mention how he looked when he fights...

"Alright," I said, snapping out of my thoughts as we began our discussion. "Tomorrow there shall be a conference."

Granger rolled his eyes. "We know that part lad, just tell us what we're going to do." I could only pray that something happens to him tomorrow.

Liala shook her head at the man's rudeness. "Let him speak, Granger," She told him before sending him a glare which made him shut up before smiling sweetly back at me. "You may continue." I nodded.

"From what I've observed, these Seirin hunters are not very strong. I also fear that the other hunters would not be able to match up either," I admitted. "Their level of experience with rogues are substandard, however, sin possessed rogues... they don't stand a chance."

"And what about the vampires? The Generation of Miracles? What about them, lassie?" Granger asked, his arms crossed across his chest.

I close my eyes as I remember the other five members, Momoi and that new guy, Mayuzumi. "Each of them have their own abilities," I explained. "Kise has the ability to copy other vampire abilities, however, it would be futile against a sin. Midorima's accuracy level is incredible, he'll never miss a shot when he shoots his gun. Aomine's speed and strength is ten times the ability of any normal vampire and Murasakibara's height is everything. The man that replaced me, Mayuzumi has almost the same abilities as I had, manipulating shadows but not to the same extent we shadows have. Akashi, the leader possess an eye called the Emperor's eye, he can see anything. Anything but shadows and sins that is. Finally there's Momoi but she's only good at collecting data, other than that, she does not possess a physical vampire ability." I said.

"In your opinion, do you think they'll stand a chance against a mere shadow?" Liala asked me curiously.

I opened my eyes. "No, they'll be destroyed instantly." Granger and Liala shared a looked. "I am not being biased, I am being honest." I clarified my previous statement. "Over my years as a vampire, I've watched them grow, their prides getting stronger till the point that they don't care anymore. If they were to come across one of us, their egos would affect their judgements and they would immediately deem us, shadows, weak as they do to their other opponents. From my time as a shadow, my speed accelerates to the point that I would be able to run the speed of light. That's how much the difference in abilities and strengths are."

Liala nodded. "I see."

Granger rubbed at his beard. "So do you think they'll be targets?" He asked.

I turned my back on them and looked back at the view. "Most definitely." I murmured. "Tomorrow when we enter the conference room, I will relay a message back to Medea, informing her of our location. Once we enter the room, if any of us deem any of the souls within damned, we wait first until they leave before we strike. Remember, we never attack in the public's eye, especially not a vampire's." I told them, my eyes not leaving the sight of Osaka.

"And the hunters?"

"We'll wipe their memories clean the moment we're done."

"Understood," Liala said. I heard her footsteps before I saw a black blur jump off the roof top. She turned to her statue state as a stone eagle took to the skies, flying off to the distance. I assume she's doing her patrols. This just left me and Granger then.

Looking at the man, I could see that he was observing me curiously. "You know lad, when I first heard that Esme had chosen a vampire, I was skeptical at first... but you're actually quite passionate about this job." He told me. "What did the Generation of Miracles ever do to you to make you this way?" He asked.

I shut my eyes. "Nothing. They did absolutely nothing."

* * *

_**Translations:**_

_Angelus -Angel_

_Acedia -Sloth_

_Gula -Gluttony_

_Superbia -Pride_

_Avaritia -Greed_

_Ira -Wrath_


	3. II & History of Shadows (Part II)

_x.X. The Shadow .X.x_

_A/N: I really don't like this chapter, I'm really reluctant about this chapter because I still think there could have been more action to it *sigh.  
_

**_Warning: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT PROOFREAD_**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_hitomi65: Thank you once more._

_ jessy . jassmine . 7: I will keep writing and thanks._

_Kuroshiroryuu: I hope you like this chapter._

_EclipseKuran: Sorry but I'm not going to pair Kuroko with anyone right now, but I might change my mind soon and Akashi is a good possibility... Thanks :)_

_Danny del Mal: YES! This story is totally about Kuroko gone bad ass and thank you, I'll be needing the luck very much._

_hate1994: Yes Kuroko, he should but I was lazy to write his entire thought process..._

* * *

_**The History of Shadows (Part II)**  
_

**_For a few centuries after the Shadows had arrived on earth, there was finally a bit of peace. All was at rest on earth... Until that eventful day in human history... That was the day they all returned._**

**_ On the 24th of August, AD 79, the Italian town Pompeii was tossed into terrifying chaos. The volcano, Mount Vesuvius had erupted, spitting out thousands of sins and claiming the lives of billions within a few hours. _**

_**Responding as soon as she heard, Iri had sent all Shadows to Pompeii but it was too late. The sins had already moved and spread to each corner of the globe. With more and more sins roaming the earth than before, hell has weakened. The barrier barely strong enough to keep in all the remaining sins so Iri made a plea to the Archangels for guidance.**_

_**They replied by sending down four of the greatest heroic spirits known to man. Iri then appointed an army to each spirit and sent them across the globe where they remained, they were named Generals. Each bearing a new name, their true identity a secret to everyone else but God and the Archangels. In return of these four spirits, Iri placed four seals onto the gates of hell and swore on her life that if any General falls, a seal shall break.**_

_**That oath still remains till today.**_

* * *

II

_The sun rises and sets on its own, it does not have a purpose but simply guides the world. People can chose not to follow and stray upon their own path, but that only means that they've found a reason to live. Others that follow the movements of the sun are simply waiting for their reason, whether they find one or not. But we shadows are different, we've already found our reason and mine is to move on. _

_._

_._

_._

"Bakagami! Stop trailing behind." Hyuuga yelled as they approached the conference location, his voice being carried through the tunnel they were walking in.

Kagami grumbled before he yawned, stretching out his arms out wide. It was currently 4.30am, Osaka time and the Seirin hunters had begun to make their way to the conference location. From what I've seen so far, I've noted that it was situated in an underground place beneath the sewers of Osaka itself, it was rather secluded if I must say. They continued to traveled down a dimly lit path until they finally reached their location; my eyes traveled along the room as I could already see some –hungry sins lurked in the darkness of the room, from their faces, I could tell that they couldn't wait to feast a fine soul... There were so many.

'Medea,' I whispered mentally. 'We have arrived at the meeting's location.' I informed her, my eyes never leaving the sins, eying them all carefully. You could never tell what could happen when it involved sins, especially hungry ones like all of these but the question that still lingered on my mind was, how did they all manage to hide from us for so long to form a group so big? 'Medea, please send Quadrant B and C as well, I fear that the number of sins here are too much for only Quadrant A to handle.' I murmured.

'Alright then, Tetsuya,' Her whisper softly replied.

I glanced back at Riko's shadow where Liala had attached herself too, and then to Kiyoshi, where Granger has found refuge. 'Be prepared, I fear we will be attacking earlier than I predicted.' I told them both through the mind link.

Liala was the first to respond. 'Alright, when you shift to your human form, we shall as well.' She told me.

In my mind, I frown slightly. 'No, do not reveal yourself yet, if we must, shift to your statue form.' I warned them.

'What?' Granger exclaimed, clearly outraged at my command. 'But we'll be slower and less efficient then!' He complained. 'Wait a minute… is it because of them being here?' He asked cautiously.

I didn't reply because even I was not entirely sure myself. 'Fine, do what you feel is right.' I said after a moment of silence.

'Good!' Granger huffed before cutting the link, leaving only me and Liala.

'Tetsuya, whatever happened in the past must be forgotten. What matters now is the present and whether you hate them or love them, we have to remember our duty first.' With that, Liala separated our links. For a moment, I thought about her words before finally coming to my own conclusion. She was right, I didn't have to care about my past –in fact… it was now dead to me.

"You woke me up at 3am in the morning only to come here and find that those bloodsuckers aren't even here yet?" Kagami exclaimed full of rage as he glared at Riko. "What the hell, Riko! I could have gotten a few extra minutes of sleep." He said annoyed before the girl sent him a silencing look. "I'm sorry, Riko, I'm just a litt–"His voice began spluttering.

Riko remained with a fake smile on her lips. "Congratulations Bakagami, your training has been tripled once we get back to Tokyo." She said kindly with a false tone of happiness.

"It seems that we are not the only ones who have decided to come early," A voice said as the Seirin hunters looked to see a new group of people. They weren't the Generation of Miracles, no, they were hunters from Kaijo. "Hello Seirin," The leader of the group said, coming into the light of the dimly lit room. "I'm Yukio Kasamatsu, their leader." He introduced himself. He had thick eye brows, and wide blue eyes. But perhaps the most prominent thing I noticed about his appearance though would be his knee socks that stood out from everything else. It was just... indescribable.

Hyuuga stepped up from the silent group and spoke up. "Junpei Hyuuga," He said, coming to shake the man's hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you," He told him as Kasamatsu nodded. "Hopefully this meeting will go smoothly."

"I hope so too." Kasamatsu said.

Kagami snorted suddenly speaking up. "For host, they sure suck."

Something rattled, within seconds Kagami was pinned on the ground by a tanned hand. There was a stunned silence before the hunters reacted, grabbing their weapons to come to Kagami's defense. His attacker was all too familiar to me –tanned skin, dark blue hair with matching eyes. A smirk planted on the man's face as he stood up vanishing from lunging hunters, grabbing everyone's attention with him before he reappeared across the room. "What were you saying, scoundrel?" He asked Kagami smugly.

The red head immediately stood up but was held back by Koganei and Mitobe, a mute hunter. "Why you litt–"A hand slapped over his mouth to stop him from saying anything further to provoke the vampire.

"Eh, Aominecchi, did you have to do such a dramatic entrance?" I looked to see Kise as he happily appeared before the hunters, he looked more mature than the last time I saw him but I could tell that he was still the same. "Why couldn't you just walk in normally like me and Momoicchi? It's so hard to top that entrance now." A pink haired girl walked in as many male hunters couldn't help but stare at her, or her chest. "Right Midorimaicchi?" A man with green hair and glasses walked in as well, in his left hand, he held a long metal rusted chain, a bell attached to its end. I could only guess that this was his lucky item of the day. 'They haven't changed at all.' I mused silently to myself as Kagami growled.

"So you've finally arrived, where are the other members?" Kasamatsu asked, noting three missing members.

Kise smiled and turned to the hunter. "I'm afraid that they weren't bothered to turn up and instead sent us to negotiate." He replied with a smile, but from his eyes, I could tell that he too looked down at the hunters.

I could see hands clenching tightly, the hunters were pissed. "That was not what we –" Riko was cut off by Momoi.

"What happens here won't really change much," She said, speaking up. "From my research, your success rate has not been very good and even though Seiho and Shutoku aren't here, it wouldn't change anything. It's best if you just leave all the hunting to the professionals." She told the hunters proudly. I could see the hate in Riko's eyes, and the anger raging from all of the hunter's eyes.

"Why you…"

My eyes widened as I felt it. The sins were making their move, Momoi's last statement had attracted the Superbia and Ira sins as well as others. At that moment; there was a loud cackling as all hunters looked up to see human possessed sins appear suddenly. Their appearance were like lifeless humans, their skins, grey as they walked around stiffly but one thing that would never change about a sin possessed human were their bloody red eyes that glowed thirstily at you. Groans were heard as they dropped to the ground effortlessly, they lunged for the hunters and vampires. "It's like last night!" Hyuuga exclaimed, recognizing the beings as the Seirin hunters took their weapons into a defensive stand.

"Crap," Kagami swore, grabbing his gun out and reloading the bullets, the hunters from Kaijo followed in suit.

"Satsuki, what the hell are they?" Aomine exclaimed breaking into a fighting stance, prepared to strike. The pink haired girl didn't reply, her entire body was frozen with fear. Midorima had taken out his gun as Kise copied Aomine's defensive stance.

'I can't stand it anymore, I'm going in,' Granger said mentally.

'Wait! Not yet, Quadrant A hasn't arrived.' Liala had cried out but it was too late as we watched his large shadow come to life to reveal his human form as he let out a loud battle cry.

All eyes stared at him, some stunned but the sins cried out in horror at the presence of a shadow. "Let's do this, lassies!" He yelled, bringing his large arms into the air before slamming them down. The momentum of all this shook the ground, everyone within a three meter radius fell to their knees from the force. The sins charged, bringing out human weapons to attack him, I sighed watching him. That idiot was vulnerable. However, Granger simply smirked before he jumped in the air before landing on the ground in his stone state, his ape arms smacking and slamming sins to the ground as they quickly descended.

'It seems like he's eliminated a majority of the sins,' Liala mused after a moment.

'No,' I told her as I changed to my stone state, standing behind Kagami, I looked above, past his head. Blinking pairs of red eyes glowed as they stared down at the scene, amused. From my observation, Granger had only attacked the weaklings and the stronger ones were staying hidden, watching us. It was a smart tactic, seeking out the more vulnerable hunters and vampire to attack. 'Liala, shift and attack the sins above. They're hidden within the shadows. By using your hawk eye, you should be able to spot them quite easily.' I said making my move, appearing before the Seirin hunters.

They gasped as Hyuuga pointed at me. "You," He said but I paid no attention as I attacked at the oncoming sins. Looking up, I see a stone eagle attacking, a spear in its beak before it disappeared from my sight and into the darkness. Within seconds there were sparks as sins descended from above before vanishing through the ground, making its way down to hell. There were screams before the stronger sins that had escaped Liala's grasp charged at Granger and me.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is happening?" Aomine screamed out suddenly as all eyes turned to him, attracting the attention of all the Luxuria sins.

A human woman appeared before him, she licked her bottom lip seductively as she strutted over to the vampire, smiling as she did. "You're pretty good-looking," She told him placing a hand on his chest. My eyes widened, she was going to transfer the sin, and this wasn't good. My legs moved quick before I slashed the back of the possessed soul, her body lit into flames as the woman staggered back. Aomine stood stunned as he watched the sin descend. I paused for a moment before I realized why everyone else was staring at me. I wasn't in my stone form, during my action of blind rage, I had unconsciously shifted into my human form.

"…" I said before turning, but a hand tightly grabbed my wrist as I turned back to see Aomine. His blue eyes burning into mine –I could see it. The emotion of pure anger and the frustration of raging storms roar in his eyes; but so did sadness as well.

There were sounds of gasps as both Kise and Momoi came running up to me with their incredible vampire speed, I shifted within seconds as I watched the two collide into Aomine. Smiling softly to myself, I slithered away, only to be stepped on, red eyes glaring down at me –Kagami. "You're not getting away that easily," He told me as he took out his gun and shot at my shadow, there were a few more gasps before Aomine knocked Kagami over, lashing out at him.

"What the hell is your problem, how dare you hurt Tetsu." He yelled, his fist in the air as the tense air around him grew. My shadow senses were tingling as Aomine gave of anger waves, threatening his body as Ira sins made their way to him. However, Liala intervened their path.

A thick laugh entered the air as Granger jumped before the fighting duo, grabbing the back of Aomine's shirt before tossing him off Kagami. "Now, now little one," He grinned widely. "I won't be having you become a victim to Ira. Wow," He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "The lassie was right about you lot, hot-heads and easy targets."

"Granger," Liala said, appearing beside him in her human state, hand on her hip. "It's rude to talk to people like that, vampire or not," She stepped aside as she looked away from the leers she was receiving, turning her nose up in disgust. "Tetsuya," I appeared once more in my human state as she smiled. "It seems that back-up has finally come," She points to the tunnel as I spot the Quadrants appearing. "It seems our mission is over." Stone forms of all kinds of creatures appeared, jumping into the conference room. The hunters and vampires stared in silence, they were absolutely stunned from the expressions on their faces. My noses began twitiching again as the sense of sins rapidly picked up.

"It appears you were wrong, Liala," I bluntly told her, pointing over to the mass amount of sins that the hunters had 'defeated'. The sounds of bones cracking back together was heard as the bodies of possessed humans slowly began to rise back to their feet. "It's just begun," I said nodding to Granger and Liala. "_Skin of light and life, descend as you hear my plea_," I murmured along with Liala and Granger. "**_I summon thy_ **–**_Fides/Vir/Benevolentia_**." A bright light appeared as a blade no bigger than the size of my palms, rimmed with a spiky edge forming a curve appeared. The shape of the spikes forming the outline of wings as ancient runes decorated the surface. I grabbed the materialized weapon proudly, twirling them between my fingers before finding my easiest and most comfortable grip before vanishing from sight. Zipping past a few sins, I went for the kill. My speed increased to half of its full potential as I materialized within less than a millisecond in front of my opponents, making a quick slash with a twirl before disappearing once more.

Suddenly, my eyes widened as I felt someone slam their entire weight on top of my small body, I reacted quickly by slamming my back to the ground before rolling off my attacker who hissed, his face beginning to crack from the rough impact. Looking at him with my blank eyes, I felt nothing as I stabbed the man roughly down his body before spinning on my heel and tossing my blades into the two sinned souls running at me. The blades collided with their chest, the impact sending them to the ground. My face felt hot as the screams of the descended sins was lost upon my ears. As I looked around me, I could see the number of sins increasing immensely. It was clear to me that somebody, probably one of the seven main sins had planned this. They must have wanted the souls of the vampires very much to sacrifice so many. Growing frustrated with all of this, I retrieved my blades before I attached them together at its grip. "**_Tendo_**," I commanded as I tossed my combined blades into the sky.

As my blades soared into the air like a Frisbee, the sound of clicking metallic mechanism was heard before the spikes grew, their large deadly edges slashing through the sea of sins. There was a yelp as I noted that Koganei was right in the path of my blade, flashing before him, I caught my blade with ease before tossing it in a new path of direction. "Thanks," Koganei said, smiling softly, sweat laced his forehead as I noted that several hunters had made an attempt to fight the sins once more. "I owe you one." He told me.

"You owe me nothing," I blandly replied. "I'm just doing my job," I said flashing to redirect the path of the blade once again before returning back to Koganei as said person screamed from my sudden appearance. "Please leave," I advised him. "This fight is not meant for humans." I told them. The hunters stared at me for a moment. I could hear it; I stretched my hand out, clasping the blade in my palms before I tossed it over my head. A bead of sweat dropped down the nap of my neck as a sin descended from behind me, I stared blankly at the hunter's bewildered expressions. "As I said before, please leave." It took a moment before they all nodded, with minor protest from Kagami before they exited the area. I turned to my old friends, Midorima's green eyes burning into mine. From one look at his stern yet intrigued expression, I knew Akashi would be hearing about this soon. "It would be best if you four left as well." Turning away, I grabbed my blade from the burning corpse.

"Wait, Tetsu-kun," Momoi said as I turned my head slightly to look at her with one eye. "What happened to you?" She asked him. "What are they?" Her pink eyes hungry for information but it was normal for her. She had always been curious but this topic... was sensitive, especially with them here, listening.

Turning away, I sighed. "Somethings are left unanswered." I murmured, before I side stepped, dodging Aomine's lunged out hand. Down, I instantly bent as Kise had appeared behind me to grab me before phasing into a shadow in the ground and disappearing as far away as I could. They were going to kidnap me and bring me back to Akashi. I reshaped beside Liala on the other side of the room. "Assist the vampires out," I told her, she raised a brow but my dark mood must have been obvious as she nodded and phased away. I continued to fight, exterminating the sins, releasing my anger and fury out with every blow I sent.

By the time we were done, I released my blades from my hand, letting them disperse back into oblivion. Glancing over at the other shadows, I could see that we had lost Quadrant C completely and almost a half of Quadrant B as well. Noting the fallen robes and weapons, I quickly collected them before handing it over to Liala as she silently shifted and flew off Angelus for a private mourning ceremony for fallen shadows. Soon Quadrant A and what was left of Quadrant B followed, mourning our loss as they returned to the temple, no doubt planning to return to Angelus to pay their respects. I let out a sigh before I felt a large hand pat my head; I winced from the force of the pat as I turned to see Granger. "Cheer up lassie, we won," He said, grinning.

I simply stared at him, heating my gaze with my annoyance and anger. "But so many died," I told him.

Granger shrugged. "You win some and lose some lad," He said, looking upwards. "But remember, they're in God's hands now that their ascended." It still didn't change how I felt. "And you can sense it can't you," Granger's expression turned serious. "Those friends of yours are waiting outside for you."

"Let them wait," I shifted to a shadow. 'I'll never go back to that life.' I whispered mentally to him before adding, 'Don't forget to wipe their memories.' I reminded him as the red head grinned viciously. 'Remember, do it gently without harming them viciously.' His expression fell as I exited the place. Passing Kise; Aomine, Midorima and Momoi, I didn't bother sparing them a glance. After all this time, it seems as though they're still Akashi's followers.

Arriving soon at Sakura Temple, I walked passed Medea, her eyes pained. "Mission successful," I reported bowing. "There were a lot of casualties though," I murmured as she nodded. "I believe that someone is behind all this –possible one of the seven." Medea's eyes turned serious as she listened intently at my words. "There were too many sins gathered just now, to many for any ordinary sin to handle." I explained. "I believe that whichever sin that set up the events of this morning must have a higher authority than most."

Medea closed her eyes, pondering. "I see," She said standing up and dusting her kimono as we walked back to our podium. Looking around, every shadow returned to their day time form. Shifting ourselves to our statue form as I sat still, Medea stood beside me, a hand reaching out in front of her with her other resting on her kimono.

Mister Takanaka's humming was heard before he walked through the main gates, grabbing the keys to the shrine chambers before he entered as it signified another start of a normal day. People came and saw; the usual visitors that often visited noted the disappearance of several statues but made no comment to say anything. My expression was blank as I surveyed the visitors, no sins so far. That was until I saw it, double split eyebrows were heading straight for me –Kagami. A wide grin on his face as he ignored the looks he received from other visitors. "Found you."

'Granger… you buffoon.'

* * *

**Translations:**

**Superbia -Pride**

**Ira -Wrath**

**Luxuria -Lust**

**Fides -Faith**

**Vir -Soldier**

**Benevolentia -Goodwill**

**Tendo -Extend**


End file.
